Sewing machine casing

ABSTRACT

A SEWING MACHINE BASE COMPRISES TWO LONGITUDINAL SUPPORTS THAT ENABLE THE FREE LOWER ARM TO BE SET NEARER THE TABLE SURFACE. TWO SIDE FLAPS HINGED TO THESE SUPPORTS BY MEANS OF SIDE PANELS CAN TAKE ONE POSITION IN WHICH THEY ENLARGE THE   FREE ARM UPPER FACE AND ANOTHER POSITION IN WHICH THEY COMPLETELY EXPOSE THE FREE ARM.

United States Patent Marcel Fresard Petit-Lancy;

Francis Plomb, Geneva, Switzerland 818,294

Apr. 22, 1969 June 28, 1971 Melina S. A. Fribourg, Switzerland June 5, 1968 Switzerland Inventors Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee Priority SEWING MACHINE CASING 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 112/258,

1 12/63 Int. Cl D05b 75/00 FieldofSearch 112/217.l,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,958,304 11/1960 Arbib 112/260 FOREIGN PATENTS 901,367 1/1954 Germany 112/258 919,388 10/1954 Germany 112/258 Primary Examiner-Jordan Franklin Assistant Examiner-George H. Krizmanich Attorneys-Emory L. Groff and Emory L. Groff, Jr.

ABSTRACT: A sewing machine base comprises two longitudinal supports that enable the free lower arm to be set nearer the table surface. Two side flaps hinged to these supports by means of side panels can take one position in which they enlarge the free arm upper face and another position in which they completely expose the free arm.

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' sum 3 or 3 INVENTOR fl/APCEL Fees/mp Flen/ve/s PAo/nB BY @4 W ATTORNEY srrwrur; MACHINE CASING The invention relates to a sewing machine having a casing formed of a base, a pedestal, a free lower arm, an upper arm, and a head.

With known sewing machines of this kind it is desirable and advantageous to be able to convert the machine quickly from one having a large work surface for the sewing of flat pieces to one having an exposed arm for the sewing of tubular pieces.

An object of the invention is a sewing machine which can be so converted.

This object and others will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention.

The invention will be described, with reference to the FIGS. of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the sewing machine of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, with the free lower arm exposed;

FIG. 3 is a partial front view, partly cut away, of the machine; and

FIG. 4 shows the sewing machine closed up and ready to be carried or put away.

With reference to the FIGS., the sewing machine comprises a casing 1 formed of a base 2, a pedestal 3, a free lower am 4, an upper arm 5, and a head 6.

The base 2 comprises two longitudinal supports 7 located on either side of the lower arm 4 and connected to the pedestal 3. These supports extend the entire length of the sewing machine and incorporate feet 8 at their ends.

The upper part 9 of each support 7 is located at a level below that of the upper face 10 of the free arm 4.

A base 2 of this kind, consisting essentially of two longitudinal supports 7, frees all of the space underneath the arm 4, so that the latter can be lowered to a position nearer the supporting surface 11 than is the case with free-arm sewing machines of conventional construction, which usually have a base formed by a plate extending over the entire width of the machine.

In the embodiment illustrated, the machine has flaps 12, 13, and 14, which cooperate with the upper part of the casing 1 so as to close up the machine, as shown in FIG. 4, when the flaps 12 and 13 are raised against the upper arm and the flap 14 against the head 6. The flaps 12 and 13 are hinged to the upper part 9 of the respective longitudinal supports 7 by corresponding side panels 15, each of the latter being connected by a suitable hinge arrangement 16 to a respective support 7. Each panel 15 is connected by a suitable hinge 17 at a point between the sides of a corresponding flap 12 and 13. A strip of soft material 18 covers the inside edges of the flaps 12 and 13. These flaps 12 and 13 are free to occupy two working positions. The first, shown in FIG. 1 and on the right-hand side of FIG. 3, is with panels 15 in a raised position, the axes of the hinges 17 being located substantially in the plane of the freearm upper face or slightly below it. In this position, the extension 19 of each flap 12 and 13 beyond the respective hinge 17 forms a work surface on the corresponding side of the arm 4; and the remainder of the flaps 12 and 13 acts as ramps that facilitate the drawing of the cloth towards the needle plate 20. The extensions 19 are advantageously at an angle with respect to the rest of the flap, as shown in FIG. 3, so that they best cooperate with the lower arm upper surface 10.

The second working position of the flaps l2 and 13 is obtained by swinging the panels outwards, so that the soft covering 18 of these flaps rests on the panels, as illustrated in FIG. 2 and on the left-hand side of FIG. 3. In this position, the free lower arm 4 is completely exposed, permitting the sewing of tubular pieces, such as sleeves and trouser legs. Stops are provided to hold the panels 15 in their raised position when the machine is closed up. These stops comprise two pins 21 fixed in the pedestal 3 at a point below that of the hinges 17 when the panels 15 are raised. These stops are further so positioned that when the flaps 12 and 13 are raised against the upper arm 5 the extensions 19 of these flaps contact the inner side of the corresponding pin 21, as shown in FIG. 3 in dotdash line, thereby ensuring that the side panels 15 are held in position.

A front panel 22 is connected to the front end 7a of the longitudinal supports 7 by hinge means 23. The third flap 14 is connected to this panel by a hinge 24. The flap l4 and the panel 22 cover the front face of the sewing machine when the latter is closed up. Any suitable means can be provided for holding the panel 22 against the end of the arm 4. In the embodiment illustrated, these means comprise pins 25 fixed at either end of the hinge 24 and each including a transverse bore that receives a corresponding projection 26 of the hinges 17, so that the two side panels 15 and the front panel 22 are all held in position when the latter panel is raised, as shown in FIG. 1 or in FIG. 4. 7

Some means, of course, are provided for holding the flaps l2, l3, and 14 in their raised positions. These means (not shown) can be of any suitable and known kind whatever, such as spring catches shown in US. Pat. No. 3,440,986 or springloaded pins fixed on the upper part of the arm 5 and the head 6 and intended to engage a cooperating member on the upper edges of these flaps.

The embodiment described admits of various modifications that lie within the scope and spirit of the invention. The longitudinal supports 7, instead of having the shape illustrated, can consist of cylindrical or tubular elements fixed to the pedestal 3. The flaps 12 and 13 can be hinged directly to the supports 7, these flaps then having only a single working position corresponding to that one shown in FIG. 2, in which the arm 4 is exposed.

The front panel 22 and the flap 14 can be eliminated, made detachable, or made to slide under the sewing machine when the latter is to be used.

In a still other embodiment, the flaps 12 and 13, as well as the flap 14 and panels 15 and 22, can be made detachable from the machine casing, so that the sewing machine can be used without these flaps and panels.

The sewing machine can be more easily carried about by incorporating a handle 27 that can be pushed into the upper arm 5 when the machine is in use, so as not to interfere with the user.

In another embodiment, the flaps l2 and 13, instead of extending only up to the pedestal 3, can be lengthened to cover the entire length of the machine and to cover the pedestal completely.

Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, the scope of, and the breadth of protection afforded to, the invention are limited solely by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a sewing machine for use on a supporting surface including a casing having a base; a pedestal; a free lower arm including upper, lower and side faces; an upper arm including an upper face; and a head, the improvement wherein said base includes a pair of individual longitudinal support members connected to said pedestal, said support members disposed on either side of said free lower arm and spaced from the side and lower faces thereof, saidsupport members each including an upper part and a front end, two side flaps, one on either side of said sewing machine and connected thereto to form with said casing, when raised thereagainst, an enclosure for said sewing machine, and being lowerable to permit use of the sewing machine, and means pivotally connecting each said flap to said upper part of a respective one of said supports.

2. The sewing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said two supports extend the entire length of the sewing machine.

3. The sewing machine as defined in claim 1, including a front panel, third hinge means connecting said panel to the front end of said longitudinal supports for movement between raised and lowered positions, a front flap, and fourth hinge means connecting said flap to said front panel for movement between raised and lowered positions for covering the front face of the sewing machine when raised.

4. The sewing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said means pivotally connecting each said flap to said upper part of a respective one of said supports comprises first individual hinge means connecting an individual side panel to each said support upper part, said panel free to take a raised position toward said lower arm, or a lowered position in which said side panel swings downwards and away fonn said lower arm, second individual hinge means connecting each said side flap at a position intermediate its side edges to a respective side panel, said second hinge means lying substantially in the plane of the upper face of the lower arm, whereby each side flap is connected to a respective said support upper part by means of said first and second hinge means and a corresponding said side panel and can assume two working positions: a first position, in which the corresponding said panel is raised and said side flap is pivoted about said second hinge means and lowered until its upper edge rests on the surface supporting the sewing machine, and a second position, in which the corresponding said side panel is swung downwards to move the said side flap away from said lower arm to expose the latter completely for the sewing of tubular pieces, each said side flap further including an extension at its lower end that projects beyond said corresponding second hinge means to provide, when said side flap is in its first working position, a work surface that cooperates with the upper face of said lower arm to form therewith a combined surface of increased area for the sewing of flat pieces.

5. The sewing machine as defined in claim 4, including stops for holding said side panels in their raised positions.

6. The sewing machine as defined in claim 5, wherein said stops consist of pins fixed in said pedestal, said pins being located at a height below said second hinge means when said panels are raised and so positioned that said side flap extensions contact the inner side of said pins to hold said side panels in place when said side flaps are raised against said casing.

7. The sewing machine as defined in claim 6, including a front panel, third hinge means connecting said panel to the front end of said longitudinal supports for movement between raised and lowered positions, a front flap, fourth hinge means connecting said flap to said front panel for movement between raised and lowered positions for covering the front face of the sewing machine when raised, and means holding said front panel against the front end of said lower arm when raised and simultaneously cooperating with each said second hinge means to hold said side panels in their raised positions, whereby all three said panels are held in position when said front panel is raised. 

